Ruger SR22 or Walther P22

This is a discussion on Ruger SR22 or Walther P22 within the Pistols & Revolvers forums, part of the Pistol & Revolver Forum category; I've seen a few places people asking for a comparison between the Ruger SR22 and Walther P22. Since I'm fortunate enough to own both I ...

I've seen a few places people asking for a comparison between the Ruger SR22 and Walther P22. Since I'm fortunate enough to own both I though I'd give a quick comparison. My P22Q has been extremely reliable through over 3000 rounds and seems to be holding up very well. Just got the Ruger last week and have put nearly 500 rounds through it with no problems. Both pistols have a similar feel and I would say are very similar in terms of accuracy. My particular Walther has been so far a great reliable range plinker but if I could buy only one I would have to choose the Ruger.

1) The Ruger was $310 and came with two mags. The Walther was $360 plus another $30 for an extra mag.

2) Primarlily due to its aluminum slide, I suspect the Ruger will be more durable in the long run as well. The slide on the Walther is made of ZAMAK (zinc). Not a material typically associated with quality firearms or longevity.

3) The sights on the SR22 seem more solid. The front sight is actually dove tailed opposed to the plastic sight on the P22 which is only pressed in and has been reported to pop out from time to time (though this has never happened to me personally yet). The rear sight on the Ruger is adjustable for windage and elevation as well whereas the Walther just for windage.

4) Take down and reassembly on the Ruger is easier and faster than the Walther. The takedown lever is easier to manipulate and the guide rod/spring are much easier to reinstall.

5) The SR-22 is made here in the US. With current economic realities in our country I would prefer to employ a fellow American worker as opposed to one overseas.

I read someone post somewhere that the Ruger is the pistol the Walther should have been. I don't mean to dog my P22Q because its been a real gem so far but the SR22 just seems like a better built pistol at a better price.

My little sis has a SR22, (ive never shot a walther P22) an after getting my hands on it and feedin 3 dif types of ammo thru it i fell in love and the field strip is a BREEZE compared to both my mk3's standard and hunter. ( i am A LOT more accurate with my mark3's vs sr22) but i love it, an for a .22 it will make your ears ring w/out ear plugs all i own so far is rugers great guns, great name, an great customer service and great price. waitin on the 45 to hit LGS or GoG

Recently my son bought a Walther P-22. Looking at it in a gun store it looked like a nice pistol.

After getting it home and taking it apart for cleaning I discovered the barrel looks like a soda straw,with a tube held on the OD with a nut to get it up to decent size. Now it shoots nice and all that but that barrel looks like a joke.

From parts break down it looks like the Ruger is a full piece of metal for a barrel. So would be nice for someone to confirm.

I own a P22. Don't own a SR22 but am seriously condiering replacing the Walther with the Ruger. The P22 is not very accurate and the trigger is terrrible. I have a MKIII so am not looking for great accuracy but a fun gun. I find no fun in shooting the P22. Will wait awhile for Ruger to work the bugs out of the SR22 and then pick one up to replace the P22.

The barrel on the Ruger is solid and thick. The Walther barrel is very thin (but I'm sure more than adequate for a 22) with an outer sleeve.

As far as waithing for the bugs to be worked out I'd say this pistol is pretty much bug free from the start. At least mine has been. The only issue I've heard of is some have been shipped with the screw that holds the barrel to the frame loose. Easy fix. Tighten the screw. If you want one, I'd go for it. I don't think you'll be sorry.

I also just piked up a new SR-22 this morning (decided on it over the P99 based on similar reasons posted above) and will be posting range results and video after I take it out this weekend. Keep an eye out here --> My New SR-22!!!! PICS and VIDS

I owned; owned be the operative word, a Walther P22. Maybe I had a bad one, but it would only fire CCI Mini-Mags. Any other brand would result in feeding and extracting problems. I polished this, adjusted that, but it never liked any other brand of ammo. It wasn't accurate either. I wasn't expecting S&W Model 41 accuracy, but I could never get a very good group. I ended up getting rid of it and bought my wife a Mark III Hunter.

I can't compare the two. I have the SR22. Today I fired 300 rounds thru it in about 40 minutes. Since I had only two mags, I was loading mags a lot.

I was using Federal Value stuff (550 count boxes) that I purchased from Wally World. I've heard that the P22 is ammo sensitive, don't know if it will use this cheap stuff.

I was down to my last two full mags ( after having fired 280) rounds when i started having problems with the just fired round being extracted. After running a dry cotton q-tip in the chamber, the last 20 fired just fine. The whole front 1" or so of the SR22 was very dirty.

Field stripping and clean up is a easy task. I have a friend who has a P22. It will be interesting to get his reaction.

I bought a P22 some time ago for about $265. Never had any problem with it. A P22 is no Ruger MK pistol (I have several) but it was never meant to be. Now I'm sorry to read marb4's report on the SR22 because I think I might want one.

Thank you - great unbiased comparison. I have a P22 and it has performed very well. That said, if the Ruger had been available a few years ago, I would have purchased it instead. A trade-in may still happen.....

I owned a Walther P22 for about three months. Shot a few hundred rounds though it, then traded it for the Ruger SR22. The P22 was very picky about ammo type. It favors high velocity rounds. It will fail frequently on the cheaper bulk stuff. For me the ability to shoot cheap ammo was a major reason for purchasing a 22 pistol. So I was not impressed after learning this.
FYI: Adding a silencer to the Walther increases back-pressure and allows it to cycle most ammo types reliably.
However, the real reason I parted with the Walther was due to a common problem that the gun suffers. The slide deforms with use. When I first noticed this problem I sent it back to Walther. They later returned it to me stating that the deformation of the slide was "normal".
I didn't like that answer. So bye bye Walther.

Also after some time the slide on the P22's tend to crack. This is because the slide is made from a cast pot metal.

The problems of the Walther P22 are well known to Walther and long time owners. So well known that there is even a Walther P22 bible that explains all the mods needed to make it chamber and fire consistently. IMO, a new gun should work correctly from the factory. Call me picky.

The truth is the SR22 is a better interpretation of the Walther P22. I think the Walther is more tacti-cool, but in the real world the SR22 is better thought out and works better. I usally keep my guns for life. That I sold the Walther so soon should tell you something.

I have shot a few hundred rounds through a borrowed Walther P22. Yes, I was fortunate to be able to try one before buying. The P22 I tried was extremely ammo sensitive as mentioned in many of these posts from other shooters. The only type of ammo this pistol liked was the CCI Mini-mags, Stingers and Velociters. Any other type of ammo would result in failure to feed, failure to eject and stove-pipes galore.

So after reading all positive reviews and Ruger's claim that the SR22 will shoot any 22 ammo (except sub-sonic) I bought the Ruger SR22. I can honestly say their claims are true, I loaded the mags with a mixed assortment of 22 ammo from Walmart bulk ammo to CCI's and not one single misfeed or problem.